Vietnamese animated films released in theaters this year: Successes and failures.

This summer, movie theaters are witnessing significant changes in the film lineup. Not only is there a strong surge in Vietnamese films, competing on equal footing with imported films, but also the first-ever release of two Vietnamese animated films.

Scene from the film "Little Trạng Quỳnh: The Legend of the Golden Ox". (Photo: Provided by the producer)

For the first time, two animated films are being released in theaters.

This year, for the first time, cinemas nationwide are releasing two Vietnamese animated films almost simultaneously, right as students begin their summer vacation. These are "The Cricket - An Adventure to the Muddy Village" and "Little Trang Quynh: The Legend of the Golden Ox".

Speaking about this event, poet and critic Phong Viet believes that this is a very significant highlight of this year's summer movie season. First of all, it's a positive and encouraging sign, and a boost for the animation market. Because in the industry, everyone understands that making animated films is the most difficult – a genre that demands a great deal of time, effort, and creative energy from filmmakers.

Poet and critic Phong Viet also mentioned that Vietnam previously had a feature-length animated film shown in theaters called "Wolfoo," and that film also had a copyright dispute with the Pepa Pig film.

"However, we can still be proud that, although we haven't really had any truly world-famous and regional animated films, we have had two animated films confidently released in theaters, including 'Cricket - The Adventure to the Muddy Village' which has had a good revenue so far," said poet and critic Phong Viet.

Scene from the film "Cricket - The Adventure to the Muddy Village".

"Cricket - The Adventure to the Muddy Village" is adapted in the spirit of the famous literary work "The Adventures of Cricket" by writer To Hoai, but the creative team has infused it with a modern touch to suit the tastes of today's audience, especially the younger generation.

Instead of simply venturing through meadows or forests, Cricket and Grasshopper venture into a "Swamp Village"—an area that was once a lush green field but has now become a garbage dump. There, they encounter many new insect species such as Stick Antlers, Baby Ladybugs, and the Great Frog King—who proclaims himself the "ruler" of the village. The two brothers must face numerous challenges and fierce battles stemming from the Frog King's sinister plot to protect the peace of the insect community.

The film was produced entirely by a Vietnamese team, using modern 3D animation technology, vibrant character designs, eye-catching colors, and rich landscapes. The production team spent over three years building the entire world of insects, creating a vivid, subtly anthropomorphic world while still preserving the biological characteristics of each species.

The film "Cricket - The Adventure to the Muddy Village" was produced entirely.

Notably, this is the first Vietnamese film produced entirely at the Digital Film Studio – an innovative collaborative model between CinePlus, Thai Nguyen province, and Thai Nguyen University of Information and Communication Technology (ICTU), marking the first time in the country that a feature film has been produced by a team comprising lecturers, students, and technology experts.

"Trạng Quỳnh in his mischievous youth: The Legend of the Golden Ox" is the first 3D animated film to be screened on the big screen in Vietnam. The film was directed by Meritorious Artist Trịnh Lâm Tùng and his team, and has a running time of 90 minutes.

The film is an adventure, fantasy, and comedy, revolving around the quirky adventures of Trạng Quỳnh and his group of friends as they pursue their individual goals and save the world.

The story begins with the character Quỳnh "the younger" trying to clear her father's name, inadvertently drawing her friends into a journey of discovery to fight against hostile forces and realize the value of companionship. The film features over 150 characters, recreating the richness of Vietnamese culture and customs through the language of animation.

"Little Trạng Quỳnh: The Legend of the Golden Ox" is deeply rooted in traditional Vietnamese culture.

The film features rich imagery and color, with many dazzling rural scenes and majestic rivers and mountains; the artistic patterns and motifs on objects, costumes, and vehicles depicted in the film are meticulously and carefully executed.

The road is not paved with roses.

However, the two films had completely different paths at the box office.

"Cricket – The Adventure to the Muddy Village" received quite thorough media coverage and promotion, with images, clips, and excerpts posted extensively on social media, attracting considerable curiosity and interest from the audience. After nearly two months in theaters, the cricket has brought in 21.1 billion VND for the production team, a significant figure for a domestic animated film.

However, "Trạng Quỳnh in his youthful days: The Legend of the Golden Ox" wasn't so fortunate. Director and Meritorious Artist Trịnh Lâm Tùng is incredibly passionate about animation. But he could only focus on his work and couldn't also handle the film's promotion and marketing. When "Trạng Quỳnh" was released, it was difficult to find information about the film, such as screening locations and times, unlike other films showing at the same time.

As a result, the film only lasted a month in theaters, failing to reach a large audience, and grossed just over 3.2 billion VND. This is extremely regrettable because director and Meritorious Artist Trinh Lam Tung poured a lot of heart and effort into this project, and the film itself received positive feedback from the audience.

Commenting on "Trạng Quỳnh," poet and critic Phong Việt said it was very regrettable because, in his opinion, the film was even better than "Dế Mèn," but it did not achieve the expected box office revenue.

"Here, we must clearly distinguish that a film with good box office revenue is not necessarily a good film, and a good film is not guaranteed to be successful at the box office," critic Phong Viet analyzed.

The unfortunate thing here is that, clearly, a good film like Trạng Quỳnh, if it could reach a wider audience, have more screenings, and generate better revenue, would be a great motivation for filmmakers and also for audiences, showing them that Vietnam can absolutely produce excellent animated films that deserve the support of Vietnamese audiences in theaters, just like other foreign animated films that have achieved very high revenues in recent years.

Regarding the team behind the film "Trạng Quỳnh," critic Phong Việt believes that while the box office revenue may be disappointing, in filmmaking, the true test of a horse is on a long journey. "A box office setback for 'Trạng Quỳnh' doesn't necessarily mean anything, but I believe that with the dedication of Trịnh Lâm Tùng, the team, and the producers behind the film, one day they will create a film that is both high-quality and commercially successful, confidently making its way to the international stage, like other successful films," critic Phong Việt asserted.

Audiences and moviegoer tastes are always unpredictable. Even the consistently high-grossing films of Tran Thanh and Ly Hai prove this. But as critic Phong Viet shared, "the true test of a horse is on a long journey," the fact that two Vietnamese animated films are confidently released this year is the first building block for the confidence and resilience of animation filmmakers in this fiercely competitive and challenging environment, especially for those who are passionate about their craft and prioritize artistic quality.

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Source: https://nhandan.vn/phim-hoat-hinh-viet-chieu-rap-nam-nay-thanh-cong-va-that-bai-post896657.html